Depot infrastructure upgrade work at three McGill’s Buses depots has started as part of a 68-bus electrification project by the operator. It will ready McGill’s own premises at Inchinnan and Johnstone and the Xplore Dundee depot for the vehicles, all of which are to arrive ahead of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November.
£32.5m is being invested in the transformation, partly funded by the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme. By the end of 2021, McGill’s will operate Scotland’s largest zero-emission bus fleet, the operator says.
Electrification infrastructure is being installed by Zenobe Energy and the supplier’s software will enable McGill’s staff to monitor all depots’ charging from a single location.
Adds McGill’s Group Chief Executive Ralph Roberts: “The introduction of electric vehicles will lead to a huge reduction in CO2 emissions from our operations. McGill’s is excited to be leading the way with the largest electric fleet in Scotland by COP26 in November. Transforming our depots to get ready for these new buses is a hugely important part of the jigsaw and we are delighted to start that process with Zenobe Energy.”
Of the 68 battery-electric buses on order for McGill’s Group, 55 are Yutong E12s, of which one was present at Inchinnan depot for a launch event for the infrastructure work. 13 BYD ADL models are also on order: One Enviro200EV, and 12 Enviro400EVs for Xplore Dundee. Once all are in service, McGill’s will require 28MW/h of energy to charge them on a typical night.
